Bud Light’s NFL campaign begins as brand struggles persist

Keeping with its devotion to crowd-pleasing campaigns following its bout in the culture wars, Bud Light is celebrating dedicated football fans and their Sunday traditions as football season approaches. A new spot called “Easy to Sunday” showcases a variety of football fans engaging in their gameday rituals, set to a cover of “Sunday Kind of Love,” by the husband-and-wife country duo The War and Treaty. In a notable shift, the ad was created by The Martin Agency and not Anomaly, which originated the “Easy to Enjoy” platform the ad is based on. Football marketing news Tracking Super Bowl, NFL and college brand moves Read more here In an agency review undertaken a year ago, Martin had been engaged by Anheuser-Busch InBev to lead advertising for Bud Light brand extensions such as Bud Light Seltzer and Bud Light Next. Anomaly was recruited to lead its flagship, referred to as Bud Light blue. “I think at this point they are talking to many agencies within their world,” one person familiar with the brewer said. “They seem to want other people’s opinions.” An AB InBev spokesperson said both Martin and Anomaly work for Bud Light. Martin referred questions to AB InBev. Anomaly had no comment. No longer No. 1 Bud Light is a longtime NFL sponsor and typically spends heavily on the season. But this year’s kickoff arrives at a tumultuous time for the brew. Bud Light remains stuck in a sales slide that began after an April Instagram promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney featuring a specialty Bud Light can with her image triggered a consumer boycott. The fallout accelerated Bud Light sales declines and, for the first time in years, the brand is no longer America’s best-selling beer in retail channels. Modelo Especial surpassed Bud Light in year-to-date share as of Aug. 12, according to NielsenIQ data reported by Beer Marketer’s Insights. Look back: Bud Light to triple summer ad spend “Easy to Sunday” kicks off the brand’s 2023-24 NFL partnership, which includes custom cans and giveaways. Bud Light is the official beer of 27 NFL teams. Twenty-three teams will be featured on special cans including team logos and player illustrations. The player illustrations are possible now that rules prohibiting such partnerships have been relaxed. A QR code on cans gives fans a chance to enter a sweepstakes giving away more than 2,000 NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions from YouTube and YouTube TV, and gift cards to NFLshop.com from Fanatics. Fans can also play online for the chance to win game tickets. More: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s NFL Sunday Ticket strategy The new Bud Light ad features real fans including a 63-year ticket holder of New York Giants who is famous for his game-day mussels; a Tennessee Titans fan whose ritual is listening to games on the radio in a decked-out tractor; and a military vet Philadelphia Eagles fan who never misses a game. “We know for NFL fans, Sunday has become synonymous not only with game day, but also with time-honored traditions,” Todd Allen, VP of marketing for Bud Light, said in a press release. “Our new ‘Easy to Sunday’ campaign celebrates and honors those real Sunday moments that bring NFL fans across the country closer to their friends, their family and their local communities—and we are so proud to play a role in as a brand.” Since the Mulvaney controversy, AB InBev execs have pledged to focus Bud Light on events like music and sports and steer clear of anything that could be construed as controversial. AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris, speaking in a conference call earlier this month, said company research indicated Bud Light consumers “want to enjoy their beer without a debate,” and want Bud Light to focus on platforms like the NFL, the Folds of Honor charity and music. Doukeris, speaking Aug. 3, said Bud Light sales declines had stabilized “with signals of improvement when you cut across different states and channels.” Ad Age Media Summit Hear from industry leaders during October event in NYC Register here

Bud Light’s NFL campaign begins as brand struggles persist

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